Refrigerator cabinet trim



p 7, 1968 K. K. KESUNG 3,401,815

REFRIGERATOR CABINET TRIM Original Filed Feb. 20, 1964 Fig.3

, INVENTOR. Keir/r K. Kes/mg Afforney United States Patent 3,401,815 REFRIGERATOR CABINET TRIM Keith K. Kesling, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application Feb. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 346,149, now Patent No. 3,338,451, dated Aug. 29, 1967. Divided and this application Mar. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 624,903

5 Claims. (Cl. 2209) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the preferred form, the refrigerator cabinet has an outer shell with the edges at the front of the side and top walls receiving and being covered by the folded U-shaped ornamental sheet metal trim strip which has its other leg formed by a double reverse fold into a U-shaped section receiving the outturned front edges of the sheet plastic inner liner.

In another form, the sheet plastic inner liner is provided with an outwardly displaced offset at the front which enters into a U-shaped section formed by folding over the second time the folded edges at the top and side walls of the outer shell. These edges are provided with an additional 90' bend to form a flange at the side of the U-section which overlays the laterally extending portion at the front of the inner liner.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 346,149 filed Feb. 20, 1964, now Patent No. 3,338,451, and is particularly directed towards FIGURES 4 to 6 thereof.

This invention pertains to an improved and simplified refrigerator cabinet construction.

Refrigerator cabinet construction has been simplified from time to time through the years accompanied by changes in appearance and style. With the advent of increased competition and foam insulation, it is desirable to restudy the construction to obtain greater advantage from the use of foam insulation together with greater efiiciency, simplicity, lower cost, and improved appearance.

It is another object of this invention to provide a refrigerator cabinet construction which is simple, inexpensive, excellent in appearance, and high in style which can be economically used with either cast-in or removable slab foam insulation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive removable breaker strip construction for a refrigerator cabinet which will allow insertion and removal of substantially rigid or semi-rigid foam insulation slabs.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive removable breaker strip construction for a refrigerator cabinet in which all raw edges are covered and protected by a removable ornamental trim strip.

These and other objects are attained in the forms shown in the drawings in which the outer shell extends in a straight line forwardly and terminates substantially in a raw edge at the front. If desired, the inner liner may be made of plastic and provided with an integral offset arrangement at the front which extends alongside the front edge of the outer shell. In the type of construction shown in FIGURE 3 the front edge of the outer wall is rolled over the front offset edge of the plastic inner liner and provided with an integral laterally extending flange over the front of the inner liner. In the form of construction shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a removable thin metal breaker strip extends over the front edge of the outer shell to form a trim strip having an inwardly 3,401,815 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 "ice extending extension provided with a notch receiving the outturned front edge of the plastic inner liner.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of one form of the invention illustrating the outer and inner Walls of sheet plastic connected by a sheet metal breaker strip;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of a construction somewhat similar to FIGURE 1 but showing an outer sheet metal wall with the metal breaker strip and plastic inner liner; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of an alternate form of construction in which the outer sheet metal walls are rolled over the front edge of the plastic inner liner.

In FIGURE 1 the door 22 is identical in construction to that shown in FIGURE 2 of Serial No. 346,149 and carries a similar magnetic seal 50. The cabinet construction, however, although generally similar in principle, differs in that a plastic sheet outer wall 72 is provided terminating in a straight front edge 74. A plastic inner liner 76 is provided with a laterally extending front edge 78. Between the inner liner 76 and the outer wall 72 is a thin sheet metal breaker strip 80 of some suitable magnetic material such as steel having some spring qualities. This strip is provided with an inner fold 82 and a second fold 84 providing a notch which receives the laterally outward extending front portion 78 of the plastic inner liner 76. The second portion of the strip 80 extends forwardly and thence completely around the front edge of the outer wall 72 to form an ornamental U-shaped trim section 86 at the front edge around but spaced from and parallel to the edges of the door 22. Polyurethane foam insulation 88 is either cast in between the inner and outer walls 76 and 72 or is inserted in the form of separately cast removable slabs. The polyurethane foam insulation is sufficiently rigid to reinforce the inner and outer walls 76 and 72 to make the cabinet rigid without the use of a frame. The breaker strip 80, the insulation slabs, and the inner liner 76 may be removed when the cabinet is made with removable foam insulation slabs.

In FIGURE 2, a removable thin metal breaker strip 90 is provided which is similar to the thin metal breaker strip 80 in FIGURE 1. The plastic inner liner 92 is likewise similar to the inner liner 76. The outer wall 94, however, is of sheet metal and has its front edgereinforced by being folded over to provide an inwardly extending section 96 which terminates in an inwardly extending flange 98. This reinforces the front edge of the outer wall. The thin metal breaker strip 90 has a U- shaped portion 121 extending around the rolled or folded front edge of the outer sheet metal wall 94 to provide the ornamental trim in the styling desired. Between the outer walls 94 and the inner wall 92 is a polyurethane foam insulation 123 which may be in the form of removable slabs or it maybe cast in place.

In the modified form illustrated in FIGURE 3, the outer sheet metal wall 125 is folded to double its thickness at thefront. The inner liner 127 is of a suitable plastic such as a vinyl polymer or copolymer having an offset front edge including a laterally extending portion 129 and a forwardly extending portion 131 which extends along side and parallels the front part of the outer sheet metal wall 125. The double thickness portion at the front of the sheet metal wall 125 is rolled over the forwardly extending portion 131 of the inner liner to form the U-shaped portion 133. This rolled over portion includes an inwardly extending portion 135 extending laterally inwardly from the innermost edge of the U-shaped portion 133. The polyurethane foam insulation 137 may be either cast directly in the structure or separately cast and inserted in the form a removable slabs. Both the forms shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 may be used with the door 22 and the magnetic seal 50.

The removable trim strips are formed so as to spring inwardly to grip the faces of the outer Wall. The use of polyurethane foam insulation in connection with the walls of this type of construction reduces or eliminates the need for additional strength. In the form in which the front edge of the outer seal extends straight forward without any substantially inward extension, the breaker strip, the inner wall and the insulation may be readily pulled out through the door opening of the cabinet merely by removing the U-shaped trim strip. When this is desired, a releasing agent is provided on the inner face of the outer sheet metal walls to prevent adhesion between the insulation and the walls. Through this arrangement the interior of the cabinet is made more accessible.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed constituted a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerator cabinet including an outer shell means provided with a door opening at the front, said shell means having side and top walls with forwardly projecting edges at the front, an inner wall within said outer shell means having an inner portion spaced inwardly from said outer shell means and provided with means at the front extending laterally toward the adjacent portion of the outer shell means, wherein the improvement comprises a trim strip of generally L-shaped cross section having one leg extending forwardly in the form of a member having a U-shaped cross section with a rearwardly opening channel extending longitudinally of the strip and receiving within it the edges at the front of the side and top walls of the outer shell means and having the other leg extending laterally inwardly, provided with an inwardly opening channel extending longitudinally of the strip and receiving within it the means at the front of the inner wall extending laterally toward the adjacent portion of the outer shell means.

2. A refrigerator cabinet as defined in claim 1 in which the rearwardly open channel and the inwardly open channel of said trim strip of generally L-shaped cross Section are arranged substantially at right angles to each other.

3. A refrigerator cabinet including an outer shell means provided with a door opening at the front, said shell means having side and top walls with forwardly projecting edges at the front, an inner wall within said outer shell means having an inner portion spaced inwardly from said outer shell means, wherein the improvement comprises an integral flange on the front of said inner wall extending laterally toward the adjacent portion of the outer shell means, and a trim strip of generally L-shaped cross section having one leg extending forwardly in the form of a member of U-shaped cross section with a rearwardly opening channel extending longitudinally of the strip and receiving within it the edges at the front of the side and top walls of the outer shell means and having the other leg extending laterally inwardly also in the form of a member of U-shaped cross section with a laterally inwardly opening channel extending longitudinally of the strip and receiving within it the adjacent portion of the integral flange at the front of the inner wall.

4. A refrigerator cabinet including an outer shell means provided with a door opening at the front, said shell means having side and top walls with forwardly projecting edges at the front, an inner wall within said outer shell means having an inner portion spaced inwardly from said outer shell means and provided with longitudinal means at the front extending laterally toward the adjacent portion of the outer shell means, wherein the improvement comprises a trim strip of generally L-shaped cross section having one leg extending forwardly, longitudinally of and substantially parallel to the front edges of the said outer shell means with a rearwardly opening channel receiving within it the front edges of the shell means and having a second leg in the form of a longitudinal laterally inwardly extending flange in the form of thin sheet metal having some spring properties, said laterally inwardly extending flange being provided with an inner reverse fold and a second fold in the direction opposite the inner reverse fold providing an inwardly opening channel receiving the means at the front of the inner wall extending laterally toward the adjacent portion of the outer shell means.

5. A refrigerator cabinet as defined in claim 4 in which the thin sheet metal has magnetic properties and has some spring qualities.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,126,499 8/193 8 Petersen.

2,662,660 12/ 1953 Frykdahl 2209 2,679,944 6/ 1954 Morton 220--9 2,484,310 10/ 1949 Philipp 2209 2,576,208 11/ 1951 Benson 220--9 2,672,255 3/ 1954 Mustee 22015 2,856,092 10/ 1958 Knapp 22010 2,978,136 4/ 1961 Ehrenfreund 2209 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

J. R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiner. 

